


C8H18

by NaiKireiYuki



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eremin - Freeform, M/M, song prompt, thank you anon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-14
Updated: 2016-02-14
Packaged: 2018-05-20 08:46:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5999512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaiKireiYuki/pseuds/NaiKireiYuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren and Armin know that flames aren't necessarily a bad thing. Well, not for them anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	C8H18

**Author's Note:**

> Sweet Eremin to give you cavities. Call your dentist.  
> Thanks anon for giving me this prompt. Loved writing it. Happy Valentine's Day from me.

No one is really sure how the unlikely but splendid history occurred. All they knew was that it was many years ago but outside of the dilapidated elementary facility. Armin, a small blonde with big dreams, was being berated and attacked by a group of larger 5th graders with a chip on their shoulder. Between the occasional kick and punch, they called him names like ‘puny’ and ‘weak.’ A boy named Eren that had previously been in his class in 3rd grade caught wind of the commotion and pressed himself to make an appearance. On sight, anger flashed across his face as he defended Armin. He beat the bullies to bloody pulps but not before they got some solid hits in. Regardless, they scattered, crying and cursing Eren’s name all the way home.

With bruises and a decorative black eye of his own, he outstretched his hand with a lopsided grin. As a huddled up ball, Armin blinked away his tears and accepted the hand—the budding of their beautiful friendship.

Armin urged Eren to follow him home so he could properly dress his wounds. Eren stubbornly tried to deny the fact that he was in pain. But Armin had already discerned that he needed immediate medical treatment. He read Eren’s face like a letter and just knew that he was being prideful and reluctant for the obvious reasons. “Please…” Armin pleaded, his tiny hands tagging onto Eren’s wrist, eyes emitting tears. Eren wilted, guilt ragging him unavoidably.

“Thank you. Thank you.” Armin brushed the older boy’s rugged hand against his cheek. “It’s the least I can do.” Eren noticed Armin’s long black lashes kiss the tops of his strawberry cheeks and he felt himself flush and swallow a ton of gravel.

Guess, he didn’t have a choice now.

Every day since, their life consisted of trips to their local library, lengthy talks about the ocean, and late night sleepovers. By common friendship standards, they were more than inseparable—they were intertwined.

Eren protected Armin from bullies and encouraged Armin while Armin enriched Eren’s mind and shared all his deepest thoughts.

Eren’s mom, Carla often joked that she needed to set a place at the table for Armin regularly. Eren did not dispute the claim. Rather, he smiled and then said that she needed to set a place for Armin tonight. He had never heard his mother laugh so heartily in all his life.

Mikasa, his foster sister was not surprised by the connection. She was aware that her family member was a torrid tornado that was easy to get consumed by. But Armin was tsunami that balanced out the inconsistencies with Eren—compensating for what he lacked. An absolutely beautiful storm.

After the entire community were in agreement that they were interwoven at the seams, she too was not surprised when Armin traveled to their home just to beg Eren to share attendance with him at the homecoming dance. Eren quickly agreed, realizing that even if he didn’t usually think about events such as these twice, Armin did. And he would do anything to make him comfortable. Even if he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb.

* * *

 

And even when they all thought that they couldn’t get any closer, they were wrong.

In high school, they modeled their schedules after one another—lunches and their extracurricular activity of archery. All four years, all the way to graduation.

Although Eren opted out of going to college, Armin still wanted to celebrate the completion of their diplomas. They had saved up enough to take the two hour trip to the Florida shore. The night they landed, they threw all their belongings in their resort room and rushed to the oceanside.

The misleading weather report failed to inform them of the rain that would pelt their skins and saturate their vacation summer attire. Their feet descended in the soggy white sand as they charged toward the ocean. The June gale gusted passed Armin’s fine, gold spun hair in the evening sunset, his spirited personality colorful with satisfied curiosity and happiness. With one fatal glance, Eren solidified his deadly infatuation with his best friend. He launched forward and braced Armin by his thighs, hoisting up on his hips. Automatically Armin wrapped his legs around Eren’s waist, arms naturally encasing his the tall man’s neck.

Together they looked on as the waves smoothly rolled across the Earth, the carrot colored cloudless sky contradicting the herd of rain littering the grounds but hardly ruining the scenery. It was just like they had imagined. Just like they had read about in the geological encyclopedias.

“You know… Before that day you saved from those boys that were bullying me, I really considered giving up. I…” Armin lowered his gaze, taking a breath, taking a break from those magnetic steel eyes. Courageously, he returned back to his weakness, his articulacy escaping him, still fumbling for the right words. “I… Almost burned out. But you came… And you were the gasoline to my flames. You… kept me alive…” Armin felt his body chill like dry ice and nervously watched Eren’s eyes grow to the size of the moon.

Armin tilted his head upward and took a gamble bigger than any S-class baller in any casino.

He edged his nimble tongue on Eren’s lips and covered his mouth with his own hesitant lips. Not receiving a rejection, nor an authorization of his hasty actions, he retracted, immediately feeling shame heat his cheeks. He pinched his Eren’s soaked shirt between his fingers, feeling rather foolish. “I thought that… I’m…”

Still stunned by the turn of events, Eren said the first thing that skated through his mind. “—I love you.”

Armin soundly exhaled with a laugh. “Oh… Eren… I love you too.”

Eren gave one of his rare grins and connected them by the lips once again.

They made the big leap when they returned to their room.

Eren unbuttoned Armin’s shirt.

Armin undid Eren’s pants.

And they became unified in the way that they had never before.

And it was splendid.

“Now, you know, officially, no one else can even _think_ about having you.” Eren traced the pale skin along Armin’s spine. He kissed Armin’s cheek, wrapping his large dank body around the willing participant.

Armin chuckled, bracing Eren’s tan back, his slender thigh tossed over the stout body.

“Mm, is that so? I’m yours?”

Armin kissed his the corner of Eren’s mouth, enjoying Eren’s newly announced possessiveness.

“All _mine_.” Eren moved forward and nibbled Armin’s vulnerable lips.

Armin moaned, clawing at Eren’s back. “I’m okay with that.”

* * *

 

They were fresh 18 year olds that had a dire thirst to travel the world. They had no idea where they were really going in life. And they didn’t have any idea if everything would work out. They had been best friends since fourth grade and it was all they knew. Uncertain of how this escalation to lover would truly work, they exclusively hunted down one another’s sweet spots and sensitive areas for the remainder of the trip. _Just to make sure that they weren’t making a mistake_.

And _oh_ , it _wasn’t_.

6 years from that faithful night in June, Armin was a month away from earning his Master’s degree in criminal forensic science. Eren specialized in heating and cooling and even managed, with Armin’s express guidance, to start his own business. They had purchased a modest house that was a five minute walk from the unrivaled roar of the ocean.

Armin had entered a heavy slumber in their living room swivel chair, his final exam still open on the computer monitor. Eren fondly peeked at his lover, an inevitable smile manifest on his face. Armin was so tired and so stressed between assisting in the local coroner’s office and completing his last four classes that he barely slept often enough to recuperate. He was murmuring—probably something about UV lights. Eren wanted him to rest but he preferred it be in a bed, not in their creaking computer chair. He lifted him up as gently as possible, kissing the mop of gold. “Love you,” Eren whispered.

A smile rose on Armin’s fluctuating features. “Mmm, loveyoutoo…” He blearily whispered through his sleepy mask. He burrowed his head into the heart of Eren’s chest as Eren tip toed to their bedroom. Eren chuckled. Maybe Armin wasn’t as asleep as he thought.

He laid him on the bed and dragged the blanket over his limp body. “Night.”

“M’nightbabe.” He rolled over, wrapping in the blanket.

Eren fell more in love than he was this morning, even though he wasn’t even sure that was possible.

Best described as just more breathless and happier than he had been before.

He loved all his quirks from him talking in his sleep to him to the pout he made when he was stressed or upset.

He accepted it all.

Just like Armin accepted his temper flares and his anal cleaning habits. With grace.

Armin was his equal and they were perfect for one another. They always had been. Which is why he distinctly wanted Armin’s graduation present to be an engagement ring. His life. His love. His heart. He wanted Armin to have it.

He knew that Armin would question it through tears but he wasn’t going to back down or rescind the proposal. He was going to tell Armin everything. Specifically how Armin had set his heart on fire—that he had literally suffocated him with his glorious flames and that he wanted to burn alive for the rest of his life.

* * *

Cheers deafened the graduation party audience.

Engagements always incited excitement.

Armin—tears as expected.

“F-forever?”

“Like an inextinguishable, eternal flame.” Eren smirked, holding Armin’s fragile frame together. From his misaligned cap and his draping gown, he had turned into an absolute weeping mess. If Eren had not been holding both hands, he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t collapse into a pile of mush.

Armin couldn’t believe Eren remembered what he said all those years ago. He could have sworn he had forgotten…

“Of c-course, I’ll ma-marry you.”

Faster than the Flash, Eren slipped the ring onto Armin’s left hand.

More cheers. Cameras flashing.

And just like 6 years ago, Eren held Armin in his arms.

Now, just like then, it was splendid.

 

 


End file.
